Acetylene-generator.



C. R. JENNE.

ACBTYLBNE GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 6', 190e.

91 2,572. Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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G. R. JENNE. ACETYLBNB GENERATOR. A APPLICATION-FILED JULY 6, 1908. k1912,572, Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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CHANCY R. JENNE, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

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Nor 912,572,

Specification of Letters Patent.

.Patented Feb. 16, 1909.l

Application filed July 6, 190B. Serial No. 441,944.

To all whom 'it-may concern:

Be it known that I, CHAN or R. JENNn, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Fort Vayne, in the county of Allen, in the State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAcetylene-Generators g and I do hereby declare that the fol lou/ing is afull, clear,- and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form partof this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in acetylene generators, v

The primary object of my present inventionis to rovide a comparativelycheap, efficient acetylene generator, positive in action, reliable inuse, easily and readily recharged, and. so located'and arranged relativeto the building to be lighted as to be absolfitely safe'under allconditions of service.

My invention consists of a cement-lined,

normally closed pit located outside of and away from the walls of thebuilding, and adapted to constitute a water-containing chamber, andcontaining the entire apparatos; a plurality of uprightgas pipes fixedin the said pit and connected v ith the service pipe, and adapted osupport the generating apparatus; a float-in gas holder having novelmeans for faci itat-ing its removal in recharging the agiparatus; acarbid-hopper arranged within t e gas-holder and provided with a novelfeeding mechanism; means for directing the generated gas to the interiorol' the floating gas-holder; and means for filtering the gas or itsimpuritiesy in its passage from the gas-holder to the service-piperl"heprincipal novel features of my invention are the means for facilitatingthe removal of gas-holder in recharging the apparatus the carbid hopper;the carbid feeding means and the construction and copera-l tivearrangement of the gas 'filtering means.

Similar reference numerals indicate lil/e parts in the several views ofthe drawings in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of my inven tionin position in a cement lined pit, also in vertical sect-ion, showingits arrangement relative to the outside Wall of the building to whichthe gas is supplied, and also showing arrangement of the supportingmeans. Fig.

3 is a bottom perspective view ofthe filtering means partly broken awayto show the internal construction thereof. Fig. 4 is a perspective viewof the carbid hopper showing the means for supporting the floatinggasholder when empty, and showing the valve operating mechanism. Fig. 5is a erspective detail view of the means for s ielding the feed-valvefrom the weight of the contents of the hopper.

My invention is arranged in a .pit 1 of" proper dimensions, preferablyabout three feet in diameter and about seven feet in depth, for anordinary dwelling house; 'Thispit is preferably circular'in contour asshown 'i 1n Fig. 2, and is lined at its bottom and sides with cement 2,and is located outside of the 'building it is used to illuminate, andafew feet from thewall thereof, as shown in Fig. il. rThis pit isprovided with any suitable water tight cover, not shown. In this pit, ata suitable distance from the walls thereof, are arranged a plurality ofvertical gas-pipes 3 united at theirlower ends by the horizontal pipes lby means of suitable unions 5, and to each other by the union 6. Thesegas-pipes 3 may have the vertical extensions 7 l'which are closed attheir lower ends, and which are embedded in the cement lining of the pitbottom, as seen in Fig. 1. The pipes 4 may also be wholly or in partembedded in the cement A lining if desired to more efficiently preservethe same. rl`hese pipes 4 are connected to a proper service pipe 8 bymeans of the pipe 9 and the adjacent union 5, which service pipe passesupward through the soil 10 and through a suitable opening in thefoundation 11 of the walls 12 of the building.

On the upright pipes 3l at a proper distance from the ends thereof aremounted the col#- lars 13, Fig. 1, which are then rigidly fixed-inposition by tightening thel screws 14 in the ends thereof;

On the beveled ends of these collars is loosely and removably mountedthe annular guide whose inner edge is notched to receive the pipes 3,and whose outer edge fits tightly an firmly against the ad'acentinner`face of the' cement lining 2 of the pit and is thereby adapted todirect the gas as it is generated into the open bottom of the floatiugas-holder, and to reveiit its escape u' war through the annu ar spacebetween t e'gasfholder and the walls 2 ofthe pit.

open ended cylindrical easing 16 of proper height is loosely mounted onthe guide 15 and aids in directing the gas as it is genern ated in thewater i7', upward into thegasholder hereafter described, and also guidesgas, which consists of an annular the particles of carbid toward thecenter of the'generating chamber or pit i, and within the annular guidel5 to prevent its escape, as before described.

0n the upright pi'ies 3 near the open uprier ends thereof are adjustablyand removably mounted the inetal collars 17 in any suitable manner. Onthese collars 17 respectively are placed the rubber gaskets 18 for thepun pose hereafter described.. 0n the upper o en ends of these pipes 3and resting upon tllie gaskets 13 is iooselvr and removably mounted inyimproved inea'ns for liltering the moisture and other impurities out ofthe whose inner and outer vertical walls are substantially concentric,and whose upper face is tightly closed, but whose lower face is pro#vided with a suitable number of vertical openings 20 to loosely butsnugly receive the upper ends of the pipes 3. Substantially inidway of'these openings 20 l'. preferably arrange a pair of fixed radialstiiiening strips 21. pro erlyh'spaced apart. Between these strips anthe openings 20 are rigidly lined -the wire netting 22 or other 'properopenwork to freely admit the generated gas into the interior of thecasing which is filled with cotton waste 23, Fig. 3, except a smallannular space 24 from .which the cotton waste is separated by a suitablestrip of wire netting 25, "thereby providing a free i'assage for thefiltered gas after it has passed through the cotton waste, to the upperends of the pipes 3 which it enters through the wire netting 26 whichsurrounds the same. The collars i7 and the gaskets 1,8 are so placed ontho pipes-Pres to leave a suitable space between. the upper face of thecasing 19 and the uipor ends of the pipes 3 to permit the iiltei'o gasto freely enter such pipes from vifhicbL vit passes downward to and thenupward through the service pipe. The /space between `the strips 2lfornis an o ienino thi'ou h which the cotton l o. k waste 1s inserted inposition to fill tne iilter casing 19. The inner and outer verticalsides of this casing 19 preferably extend slightly below the lowerwire-netting face thereof to protfetgthe, cotton waste. nlling thereoffrom casing 19- aidera ing an upwardly extended valve stem 30 which. isadapted to be actuated by its engagement with the lower face of theupper closed end of the gas-holder 31 when the supply of gas therein isinsufficient to supporltthe saine, thereby opening the valve ror thefeeding down of a new supply of carbid.

When in its normal or initial position the gas-holder 31 rests securelyupon the upright posts 51, Fig. Il, which are fixed to the u per face ofthe hopper 27p, and hold the fidedvalve 29 open by its inipingement uonv the upper end of the valve stern 3Q. T e valve stern 30 passesloosely through the tubular guide 32 whose upper end preferably pro-viects slightly above the closed top of the iopper 2?' and is rigidlfixed thereto. To the lower end of this guide 32 is rigidly xed thevalve shield 33, of any proper contour, haviinr its upturiied corners 34soldered to the adjacent inner face of the hopper, Figs. l and .5,thereby leaving suitable openings at its ends and side to permit thecarbid to 9 feed downward, but at-the same time this shield protectsthevalve 29 from the weight of the carbid in the hopper, which ordiiiarilyweighs from fifty pounds upward, and would otherwise tend to open thevalve i prematurely, and even lprevent the proper and secure closing ofthe saine in use. The. top of this hopper has a suitable opening 35 toadmit the carbid., which opening is closed by a proper screw-top 36, andhas a vertical opening 37 to admit the weight 38 which isjpivota lysuspended from the horizontal lever 39 which is pivotally fulcrumed ator near the middle of its len th to the upright post 4() fixed on thetop of t ie hopper, 1i

and has its other end pivotally connected to the valve-stein 30 at asuitable distance below the free end thereof, Fig. 4. The opening inwhich the weight 33 rests passes tirougli the hopper and is separatedfroin the carbid chamber by a suitable circular wall 41.

The hopper 27 .has a pendent flange 42 adapted to support the positionby resting u the filter casing 19, 1ig. 1. rThe hopper 2'? is provideduoon its lower face with apendent annular ange 43 which surrounds thevalved discharge opening thereinand eX- tends somewhat below the saine userves to arrest the oondensedrnoist'ure upon the outer face ofthehopper and conducts it downward and away from the valve. The 'as holder3l normally rests upon the eripheral opper in upperviree end of thevalve stein 30, which is CIK on the upper face of 1;

and therebv 1i i v as shown in dotted-outline in Fig. 1.

- qualit by its weight overcomes the gravity o f the Weight 38 andthereby opens the feed v'alve 29 by forcing the stem 30 thereofd'ownwarrd,

'1e upper closed end ofthe gas-holder 31 has a. va vedwopenin 44 adaptedto receive any proper remova le gas burner when it is desired to testthe gas to see if it is of a proper to turn into the service pipel foruse;. and aso has a air of valved openings 45 which are 'opened for theladmission of air to the interior thereof when it is desiredI toA removethe same for the pu ose of recharging the apparatus. A' suita le bail 46has its opposite ends secured tothe valves which thus control theopenings 45, whereby when the bail is down 1n its normal position asshown infull lines in F` 1, the valves are closed, and when the bai iselevated'to the osition shown by dotted lines in the same gure, thesevalves will be open, and, of course,4 will so remain until the bail isreturned toits normal position..

As the gas-holder 1n large machines is quite heavy it is desirable toemploy a suit able mechanical aid in removing the samel for rechargingthe apparatus, and for that purpose'1 .mount a wmdlass 47 in suitablesupports 48 which maybe fixed in the wall 12 on which windlas's is wounda suitable rope 49 having a hook 50 upon its free end adapted, to engagethe bail 46. This windlass is provided near oneend thereof with aratchetw wheel 53 and acoa'cting pawl 54 adapted to secure the windlassin any desired position.'

.The operation-and manner of employing -my invention thus described isobvious and briefly stated is as follows: The operator first places aroper quantity of water in tl Le' pit 1, after w rich the casing 16, thefiltering device '19, the hopper 27 andy the gas-holder 31 are allmo'unte in position as described, the hopper having been previouslyfilled with carbid particles. As the weight of the gas-4 holder normallyrestsuponthe upper end of .the posts 51 and by its impingement on theupper end of the valve-stem 30 it will force; the valve 29-open andlpermit the carbid to feed downward into the Water by gravity through theopeningsat the ends and sides of the shield`v33, which supports theweight of the contents ofthe ho per. `As the gas is generatcdin a well.un rstood manner, it rises upward withintheguide 1 5 and the casing 16,and. is thus directed into the gasholder where it' passes through theannular space 54 to the gas-space above the hopper where it el-evatesthe gas-holder when a sufllcient quantity of gas has been generated, to

relieve the valve-stem y30 of its impingement thereon after whichthefeed-valve will he automatically closed by the gravity o f the weight38, therebyshutting off the feeding of an;r more carbid until the supplyof gas opening carbid feeding in the g ts-holder is sufficientlyexhausted to permit it to resume its initial position upon the upper endof the posts 51, thereby opening the feed-valve for a fresh supply ofcarbid as before. through the wire netting 22 and passes through thecotton'waste 23 into the annular sp ace 24 and thence through the wire'netting 26 int-o the open upper ends of the gas-pipes 3 through which itservice-pipe 8. It 1s thus seen that my invention simple inconstruction, convenient to'assemble and charge, positive and reliablein its feeding acn, and absolutely safe in use.

Having thus described my invention and The gas enters the filter 19.

asses downward tothe the manner of em loying the same what-1" desire tosecure by -etters Patent is:

1. An acetylene generator consisting-of -a cement lined pit. forming awater holding generating chamber; upright gas-pipes fixed in the chamberand connected to the service main; a gas fitting means consisting of anannular casing detachably mounted on the upper open ends of thegas-pipes, and filled wit iV a proper filtering `material; a carbidhopper of conical contour having a central discharge opening in thebottom thereof, a surmounted sup ort for the valve operating mechanism,and) gas-holder in its normal position; a downwardly opening valvecontrolling the discharge opening, and providedwith an upwardly extendedstem; weighted means for.

normally securing the valve in its closed pofor shielding the valve fromsition; means the weight of the contents of the hopper; a floatinggas-holder inclosing the above described mechanism and adapted to openthe feed valve by its own weight when the supply ofgas therein issufficiently reduced; and means for directing the gas as generated intothe gas-holder.l

2. 'The combination in an acetylene generator of a water holdinggenerating chamber;A upright gas-conducting pipes fixed in the chamiber;an annular casing filled with gas filtering material and forming aconduct# ing medium between the interior of the gasl';older and the gasconducting pipes, and re-` movably mounted upon the upper ends of suchpipes; a-carbid hopper havin a bottom discharge opening and removab ymounted on the annular casing, and provided with surmounted means fornormally supporting the weight of the gas-lmlder; a downwardly valvenormally closing Pthe said opening and provided with a verticalsteinwvlich 'is extended upwardly through. the hopper; means fornormally securing the feed valve in its closed position a floatinggas-holder arranged in the generating chamber and inclosing said feedingand filtering mechanism, "and adapted by its gravitypto actuate thefeed-valve, and provided upon its upper closed end with means means forsupporting theiso i for permitting the admission of air when itsremoval-is desired for recharging the'apparatus. l A

Y 3. In an acetylene generator'a water-holding generating-chamber;'upright' gas-pipes 'fixed' in the chamber and adapted to support thevoperating mechanism; an annular gas-filteiing device detachablym'ountedon the upper end of the said pipes and whose inerior 1s in opencommunication therewith; a. carbid hopper -mounted on the filteringdevice, provided with a central discharge opening and .a fixed shieldabove said'opening adapted to support the weight of the contents of thehopper; a downwardly openy ing feed valve normally closing the dischargeopening and having an upwardly extended stem; means for securing the yave in position; a floating gas-holder within the generating chamber andinclosing the operating mechanism; means for opening the feed valveunder the conditions described; and means for guiding the gas whengenerated upward into the gas-holder.

Signed by me at Fort Wayne, Allen 25 county, State of Indiana, this 2ndday of CHANCY R. JENNE.

AJu1y, 190s.

Witnesses WATTS P. DENNY, AUGUSTA Vlnnno.

